Kesennuma: Fishing, Coast and Culture

When looking for a hotel in Kesennuma, it helps to consider what you plan to do: fishing and food culture, historical exhibitions, or routes along the bay offer different experiences. Kesennuma is accessible by train and bus; check the relevant routes and timetables before you travel.

Getting There and Boat Trips

In Kesennuma, the Kesennuma-Ōshima Bridge connects Honshū with Kesennuma-Ōshima. There are lay-bys at both ends where vehicles can be parked so you can cross the bridge on foot. This makes it possible to combine a drive across the bridge with the chance to experience it on foot afterward.

The Kesennuma Bay Cruise lasts 50 minutes and passes beneath the Kesennuma-Ōshima Bridge and the Kesennuma Bay Crossing Bridge. It departs either from Kesennuma Inner Harbor or near the Ōshima Welcome Terminal and returns to its departure point. Check the current timetable before planning your trip.

Fishing and Food Culture

Large quantities of seasonal seafood from the Sanriku fishing grounds are landed daily at Kesennuma City Fish Market; the species and quantities vary by season. A 2023 tourism article notes that Kesennuma ranked first in Japan for fresh bonito landings for 26 consecutive years. This historical ranking adds context to the market, where daily activity is shaped by seasonal catches.

At the Kesennuma City Fish Market and Fisheries Information Center, projections illustrate stick-held dip net fishing for Pacific saury. A snack bar like those used by fishermen is also recreated there. The Fisheries Information Center also displays original equipment from Kesennuma vessels, including helms and fish finders. Alongside the seafood landed at the market, the focus is also on fishing practices and equipment.

On an oyster farm tour, participants head out on a fishing boat and learn oyster-farming methods from local fishermen; dates may vary. KESENNUMA BREWER’S TABLE is a pairing dinner offered by request, featuring seasonal ingredients from Kesennuma and Japanese sake selected by brewers to complement the dishes.

Exhibitions and Local History

The Rias Ark Museum’s historical and folk culture exhibition presents regional culture through the theme of “food.” Collection items, hand-drawn illustrations, and photographs convey the fishing history, customs, and ways of life of the Rias region from the Jōmon period to the present. Since fiscal year 2013, the museum has also hosted a permanent exhibition documenting the Great East Japan Earthquake and the history of the tsunami disaster, featuring documentary photographs and collected objects.

The Kesennuma City Great East Japan Earthquake Relics and Memorial Museum includes the Kesennuma Koyo High School building, which was used as a school until the day of the earthquake. The exhibition area at the Karakuwa Peninsula Visitor Center introduces features of the Karakuwa district, including through videos. An audio map explores yagō, the individual names given to houses, and includes recordings of local residents. Together, the exhibitions offer different perspectives, from regional ways of life and fishing to objects commemorating the disaster and voices from the area.

Attractions at the Inner Harbor

Kesennuma Umi no Ichi is located next to the city fish market and includes a tourism information center, the Ice Aquarium, and the Shark Museum. The Ice Aquarium displays 700 fish of 40 species in transparent ice. The ice is frozen over the course of a week using Kesennuma’s ice-making technique. The Shark Museum shares information about the way sharks live and features an 8-meter-tall whale shark installation created with support from the Okinawa Churaumi Aquarium. Exhibits and operating details may change; check the latest information before visiting.

The inner harbor district has four commercial visitor facilities: Mukeru, Yuwaeru, Hirakeru, and Umareru. Visitors can eat and buy souvenirs there; individual businesses and offerings may change. Kesennuma City Fish Market also looks different at different times of day: it is illuminated at night, offering a different view from the daytime.

Bay, Headlands, and Walking Routes

Shimmeizaki looks like a small island and is a local attraction. From Mukeru in the inner harbor, it is about a ten-minute walk along the coast. Shimmeizaki is home to Isuzu Shrine, a standing statue of Ebisu holding a bonito, and the vermilion Ukimidō. A deity of seafaring is enshrined at Isuzu Shrine; the grounds also contain Musubi Shrine (Myōken Shrine) and a stone monument bearing a love poem. The site is also regarded as a place to pray for a happy relationship.

The Miyagi Olle Kesennuma-Karakuwa Course includes a route of about two kilometers along the Misaki Promenade, with an estimated walking time of around one hour. One highlight is Misaki Shrine, located in the forest and with a history dating back around 1,000 years. It is associated with matchmaking and prayers for a good catch. Another walking option is the ascent of 711-meter Tokusenjō: from the starting point on the Kesennuma side, it takes about 40 minutes to reach the summit at a leisurely pace. Walking times depend on pace and conditions; conditions on the Olle route may also change.

Discover more destinations: Minamisanriku, Shichikashuku, Arahama, Shichigahama, Kami District, Misato, Miya, Sendai

For the regional travel overview: Miyagi Prefecture.